File folder indicia device



June 5, 1962 L. SAYMON FILE FOLDER INDICIA DEVICE Filed Dec: 8, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INV EN TOR. 1504 sly/ 10w BY Wk ATTOf/VEX June 5, 1962 L.SAYMON FILE FOLDER INDICIA DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 8, 1959INVENTOR. L 0/v s4 mom United States Patent 3,037,510 FILE FOLDERINDICIA DEVICE Leon Saymon, 8554 Tolbut St., Philadelphia, Pa., assignorto Hanita F. Saymon, Philadelphia, Pa. Filed Dec. 8, 1959, Ser. No.858,201 7 Claims. (Cl. 129-16.7)

This invention relates to filing systems in general, and in particularrelates to an indicator tab device and the file folder or card withwhich the indicator is used.

In the past, many types of file folders together with movable indicatingdevices have been known. While each of the known devices may be suitablefor a particular purpose, no presently available indicator device iscapable of providing the combined attributes of ease of engagement anddisengagement, rapid shiftability of the indicator from one position toanother while mounted on the file folder, positive lock of the indicatordevice to the file folder to prevent inadvertent disengagement ordislocation, side by side location of a plurality of indicator deviceson a common file folder, and all of the foregoing functions being usedin conjunction with a file folder having a glued in suspension bar.

For example, all of the known devices which are positively locked inposition on the file folder are either mechanically very complicatedhaving a number of parts for accomplishing the locking function, orcooperate with the suspension bar of the file folder in such a mannerthat the suspension bar must be removable from the folder in order toengage or disengage the indicator device. Thus, rapidity of indicatordevice position adjustment is absolutely precluded and use of the knowntypes of filing systems is rendered impractical as for example in aninventory control system or stage by stage charting of production flowbecause of the inordinate length of time required to manipulate theindicator devices. Moreover, some applications require that a pluralityof indicator devices be mounted upon the same file foldersimultaneously,

and in most cases it is not possible to utilize the full width of thefile folder because of the relative constructions of the file folder andindicator device used in conjunction therewith. Accordingly, it is aprimary object of my invention to provide a novel file system indicatordevice which may be rapidly attached to and detached from a file folderwithout necessitating the removal of the folder from the file.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel filing systemindicator device which may be quickly shifted in position along the edgeof the file folder and locked thereto at a desired location withoutremoving the file folder suspension bar from the folder.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel filing systemindicator device which may be positively locked to a file folder havinga glued in suspension bar, and which may be quickly released andshiftedto a different position along the edge of the file thereto in itsnow position.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel filing systemindicator device having the foregoing desirable features which may beproduced relatively easily and inexpensively by mass production methods.

The foregoing and other objects of my invention will become apparentfrom a careful reading of the following specification when taken inconjunction with the appended drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of the filing system indicatordevice according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the indicator device illustratedin perspective in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the indicator device illustratedin FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken through the folder and lockedindicator device in the central region thereof as indicated by the lines4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken adjacent one end of theindicator device as shown by the lines 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the indicatordevice illustrated in FIGURE 3 as viewed along the lines 6-6 therein;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of the indicator device andfile folder with which it is used;

- FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of the indicatordevice partially assembled to the file folder seen in FIGURE 7;

FlGURE 9 is a fragmentary front perspective view of the partiallyassembled indicator device and file folder seen in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a cross-sectional view through the partially assembledindicator device and file folder as seen when viewed along the lines10-10 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary front perspective view similar to FIGURE 9except that the indicator device is illustrated as completely engagedwith and locked to its associated file folder;

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view through the assembled indicatordevice and file folder as seen when viewed along the lines 12-12 ofFIGURE 11;

FIGURE 13 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIGURE 12excepting that the indicator device is illustrated in the process ofbeing unlocked from the file folder preparatory to removal therefrom orlateral shifting relative thereto;

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper part of a filefolder showing two of the indicator devices positively locked in placethereon with other indicator devices shown inphantom to illustrate themanner of utilizing the entire width of the file folder when so desiredwithout the necessity of leaving a space between adjacent ones of theindicating devices.

In the several figures, like elements are denoted by like referencecharacters.

Considering first FIGURES 1 through 6 which illustrate the structuralaspects of the indicator device alone, it will be observed that theindicator device 20 consists basically of an indicator upper portion 21of flattened tubular form connected at its lower narrow edge to a cliplower portion 22 also of flattened tubular form by means of anintermediate bridging wall 23. The upper portion 21 and lower portion 22of the indicator device 20 are oriented relative to one another so thatthe flattened tubular faces of each portion are inclined at an angle tothe flattened tubular faces of the other portion. This angular offset,as will be subsequently seen, provides improved visibility for legendmarkings associated with the indicator upper portion 21.

The indicator upper portion 21 comprises a front wall 24- and rear wall25 curved at their upper and lower edges so that they merge with oneanother and define the indicator channel 26 extending longitudinallytherebetween. The clip lower portion 22 is somewhat similarly formedhaving a front wall 27 and rear wall'28 which define therebetween a clipchannel 29. The front and rear clip walls 27 and 28 turn inwardly at thetop and merge with one another and with the lower edge of the indicatorupper portion 21 in the region of the common bridging wall 23. Extendingforwardly and upwardly from the bottom edge of the clip portion rearwall 28 at each end thereof are a pair of clip hooks 32 whose upwardlyturned front portions lie in a common plane with the clip front.

wall 27, being separated therefrom however by the lengthwise extendingclip front wall slot 30. Each of the clip hooks 32 extendslongitudinally inwardly along the bottom edge of the indicator device'20 for a predetermined distance from an end of the indicator, the innerends 33 of the clip hooks 32 stopping short of one another and definingtherebetween a bottom central recess 31.

The indicator channel 26 is adapted to accept a legended card havingmaterial written or printed thereon, and which when disposed within thechannel 26 is visible through the indicator front Wall 24 which, ofcourse, must be transparent. The clip portion channel 29 is adapted toreceive the folded back upper edge portion of an associated file folderand the suspension bar which is normally disposed within the fold. Thislatter aspect of the invention will be described in more detail inconnection with the description of FIGURES 7 through 13.

The indicator device 20 may be formed from a transparent extrudedplastic which initially comprises two flattened tubular portions both ofwhich are of the form of the indicator upper portion 21 and which arejoined in the manner illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2, 4 and 5. The lowerflattened tubular portion may then be machined or cut to form the clipportion 22 by slitting out the front wall 27 in the manner shown at 30and then recessing the bottom central region as at 31 to form the hookportions 32. The forming process can, of course, be carried out byautomatic machinery, or in the alternative, the indicator device 20 maybe molded unitarily in the form illustrated.

It is also, of course, not necessary that the indicator device he formedof a plastic composition, but might be formed of metal which ischaracterized by a certain resiliency for reasons to be subsequentlymade clear. In such a case, the indicator portion front wall 24 would beapertured out to provide a window so that the legend on a card disposedwithin the indicator channel 26 would be visible. Other suitablematerials from which the indicator device may be fabricated, andcombinations thereof, can, of course, be devised while retaining theform of the indicator device 20 as illustrated which will performequally well by virtue of the particular structural aspects of theinvention.

Understanding now the structure of the indicator device 20 as viewed inFIGURES 1 through 6, attention should at this point be directed to theshowings of FIGURES 7 through 14 which illustrate the form of the filefolder used in conjunction with the novel indicator device, and themanner in which the file folder and indicator cooperate with one anotherin carrying into effect the functions and advantages previously setforth. Considering first FIG- UR-E 7, there will be seen therein a filefolder 40 having main wall panels 41--41 folded as at 47 to form a V-shaped pocket. The top edge of each main wall panel 41 is foldedinwardly and downwardly as illustrated by the flaps 42, which latter areglued or otherwise secured to the inside surface of each of the mainwall panels 41, care being taken to leave an unglued channel at the topedge of each main wall panel through which suspension bars such as 45may be inserted. Each of the suspension bars 45 is notched at its endsas at 46 in the conventional manner so that the suspension bar notches46 may be disposed upon the file suspension rails (not illustrated)which support the file folders 40. Alternatively to forming the filefolders 40 as previously described, the suspension bars 45 may be laidin position across the width of the main wall panels 41 prior to gluingdown the flaps 42. When now the flaps 42 are turned down and glued, thesuspension bars 45 may at the same time be glued permanently in positionas illustrated.

With either construction of file folder just described, the main wallpanel 41 and flap 42 are then slotted through as at 43 and 44 to providea plurality of spaced apart slots extending lengthwise across the widthof the file folder immediately below the upper edge portion occupied bythe suspension bar 45. It will be observed that the two end slots 43 areeach half the length of the interior slots 44, this construction beingmost readily apparent in the illustrations of FIGURES 8, 9 and 11. Eachof the end slots 43 is of sufficient length to just accom modate one ofthe clip hooks 32 of the indicator device 20, whereas each of theinterior slots 44 is therefore of sufficient length to accommodate twoof the clip hooks 32 when the clips of a pair of indicator devices 20are placed endwise adjacent one another as is best seen in the showingof FIGURE 14. It follows as a matter of course that the spacing betweenany two adjacent slots in the file folder 40 corresponds to the lengthof the central recess 31 at the bottom of the clip portion 22 of theindicator device 20. From the showings of FIGURES 11 and 14 it is seenthat with the indicator device 20 mounted to the file folder 40 in themanner shown, the indicator device 20 is precluded from lateral shiftingrelative to the file folder 40 by virtue of the fact that the inner ends33 of the clip hooks 32 are in abutment with adjacent ends of a pair ofthe slots 43 and 44 of the file folder. The file folder end slots 43are, of course, half the length of the interior slots 44 because theseend slots 43 are never required to accommodate more than a single cliphook 32. On the other hand, the interior slots 44 may be required toaccommodate two clip hooks 32 in those instances where it is desired tosecure more than one indicator device 20 to the file folder in side byside relation as previously seen in the showing of FIGURE 14. While theclip hooks 32 of the indicator device 20 have been illustrated as beingsubstantially equal in length, it is possible that some applicationswill best be served by making these clip hooks 32 of unequal lengths. Insuch a case, the end slots 43 would, of course, be punched to the propersize to accommodate the different length hooks and the interior slots 44would be punched so that their length would be equal to the combinedlengths of the hooks of the indicator device.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 8, 9 and 10 which illustrate themanner in which the indicator device- 20 is attached to the file folder40, and recalling from FIGURE 1 that the hooks 32 are disposed at alower ele/ vation than the clip front wall 27, the indicator device 20is attached to the file folder 40 in the following manner. Firstly, thefront edges of the hooks 32 are placed behind; the upper edge of thefile folder 40 and the upper portion 21 of the indicator device 20 ispressed forward to open the clip channel 29 by moving the hook frontwall 27 forward out of its common plane with the front edge of the hooks32. With the front wall 27 sprung forward the slot 30 is opened out andthe entire indicator device 20 may he slipped downwardly so that theupper edge of' the file folder together with its enclosed suspension baris. effectively moved upwardly into the clip channel 29 with the clipfront wall 27 and the hooks 32 disposed on opposite sides thereof asbest seen in the showing of FIG- URE 10.

As the indicator device 20 is slipped downwardly, theupper edge of thehooks 32 eventually encounters the slotted openings 43 and 44, and dueto the resilient nature of the material from which the indicator device20 is fabricated the hooks 32 snap forward through the slots and lockthe indicator device 20 to the file folder 40 as seen in the showings ofFIGURES 11 and 12. It should be observed that the upper edge of thehooks 32 as illustrated in FIGURES 11 and 12 lies above the top of theslot through which the hook is disposed so that there exists no tendencyfor the hook 32 to be displaced backwardly out through the slot, andhence constitutes a front to rear anti-rotational locking feature. Thehooks 32 ride up in the manner illustrated by virtue of the fact thatthe clip channel 29 in the topmost region is of a reduced crosssectionalarea, and while the indicator device may be forced downwardly so thatthe top edge of the file folder is compressed as it moves up into thisreduced cross-sectional area, there exists a positive tendency for theindicator device to ride upward when released to relieve the compressionexerted at the top edge of the file folder. The indicator device 20 maytherefore be considered to be effectively cammed upwardly relative tothe top of the file folder 40 when the indicator device 20 is released.in order to achieve the maximum possible lock effect, the distancebetween the upper edge of each hook 32 and the bottom edge of theindicator device 20 should be made substantially equal to but notgreater than the vertical dimension of the slots 43 and 44.

FIGURE 13 illustrates the manner of releasing the indicator device 20from its locked engagement through the file folder slots 43 and 44. Therelease is accomplished by grasping the upper portion 21 of theindicator device 20, pushing downward on the indicator to force theupper edge of the file folder upward into engagement with the top of theclip channel 29, and then rotating the upper portion 21 forward, asindicated by the arrow, which causes the clip hooks 32 to be displacedrearwardly out through the slots in the file folder. The indicatordevice 20 may then be readily slipped upwardly and off of the filefolder, or if desired while still in the position illustrated in FIG-URE 13 may be laterally shifted along the file folder upper edge to adifferent position, and when the rotational force is released whilestill maintaining the downward pressure on the indicator device 20 thehooks 32 will move forward through the file folder slots present at therelocated position. Release of the indicator device will then cause thehooks 32 to move upwardly into their previously described lockedcondition.

The front wall 27 of the clip portion 22 may have its ends rounded ofiat the lower edge thereof so that the ends of the front wall 27 exhibitno tendency to dig into the file folder as the indicator device 20 isbeing shifted laterally across the upper edge thereof, as when changingits position. Additionally, the width of the slot 30 may be somewhatgreater or smaller than that illustrated provided that it is not made solarge that the clip front wall 27 is shortened to such an extent as toimpair the clamping action which it exerts upon the file folder top edgein conjunction with the clip rear wall 28. Finally, in those instanceswhere the indicator device 20 is desired to be used with a file folder40 which does not have a glued in rod 45 but which instead has formed atthe file folder upper edges an open-ended channel through which thesuspension bars 45 may be projected and removed, the slots 43 and 44need only be made through one thickness of the file folder, as forexample through the main wall panel 41 but not through the flap 42. Withthis arrangement the indicator device 20 would operate in exactly thefashion already described with the sole exception that the hooks 32would project only through the slots formed in the main wall panel 41and would snap up between the inside surface of the flap 42 and theproximate surface of the suspension bar 45.

Having now described my invention in connection with a particularlyillustrated embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated that variouschanges and modifications from time to time will occur to those personsnormally skilled in the art without departing from the essential scopeor spirit of the invention, and accordingly it is desired to claim thesame broadly as well as specifically as indicated by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A filing system including a suspension bar type file folder and anindicator device removably attached to the upper marginal edge portionof the file folder, said file folder upper marginal edge portionincluding a channel extending across the width of the folder and asuspension bar disposed within said channel in operative positiontherewithin, said folder including a plurality of spaced apart slotsdisposed across the width of the folder with the top edges of the slotslocated substantially at the lower edge of the suspension bar and withthe slots extending downward therefrom below the level of the suspensionbar, said indicator device comprising a clip portion of generallyflattened tubular form surmounted by an indicator portion, said clipportion having front and rear walls curving inwardly at their top edgesinto a continuation of one another and defining between said walls aclipchannel, said clip portion rear wall extending downwardly lower than thebottom edge of said clip front wall and turning forward and upward intoa hook element disposed in substantially coplanar relation with saidfront wall, the upper edge of said hook element being positioned belowand spaced apart from the bottom edge of said front wall so that saidhook element upper edge and front wall bottom edge define therebetween aclip slot, said clip portion front and rear walls being resilientlyspringable apart to open said clip channel so that the upper marginaledge of said file folder may pass thereinto through said clip slot, thedistance between the top of said clip channel and the upper edge of saidhook element being at least equal to the distance between the topmostedge of the file folder upper marginal edge portion and the bottom ofsaid suspension bar, whereby when said folder upper marginal edgeportion is fully disposed within said clip channel said clip hook maysnap forward through one of said folder slots.

2. The filing system according to claim 1 wherein the width of the clipchannel between the said clip portion front and rear walls issubstantially equal to the thickness of the file folder upper marginalportion.

3. The filing system according to claim 1 wherein the top region of theclip channel formed by the inwardly curving top edges of said clipportion front and rear walls is of narrower front to back width than thefile folder upper marginal edge channel with the suspension bar disposedtherein, whereby said file folder upper marginal edge must be forcedupward into said region of narrower width to permit said clip hook tosnap forward through the said file folder slot whereupon said indicatordevice when released is cammed upward to move the narrow width regionout of engagement with the file folder upper edge and said clip hookthereby rides up out of lateral registry with said file folder slot andhookingly engages around the file folder marginal P rtion just above thefolder slot.

4. The filing system according to claim 1 wherein said clip portion rearwall turns forward and upward at two regions spaced apart lengthwisealong the indicator device to form two of said hook elements, said twohook elements being spaced apart a distance equal to the distancebetween adjacent slots in said file folder.

5. The filing system according to claim 4 wherein the file folder endslots which are those closest to the folder side edges are of shorterlength measured widthwise of the folder than are the interior filefolder slots which are disposed therebetween, and wherein one of saidtwo hook elements is substantially the same in length as a file folderend slot, the length of the other of said two hook elements being equalto the difference in lengths between an interior file folder slot and anend slot.

6. The filing system according to claim 5 wherein said file folderinterior slots are each equal to twice the length of an end slot, andsaid two hook elements are equal in length.

7. A filing system including a suspension bar type file folder and anindicator device removably attached to the upper marginal edge portionof the fi-le folder, said file folder upper marginal edge portionincluding a channel extending across the width of the folder and asuspension bar having an unbroken rectilinearly extending bottom edgedisposed within said channel in operative position therewithin, saidfolder including a plurality of spaced apart slots disposed across thewidth of the folder with the top edges of the slots locatedsubstantially at the lower edge of the suspension bar and with the slotsextending downward therefrom below the level of the suspension bar, saidindicator device comprising a clip portion of generally flattenedtubular form surmounted by an indicator portion, said clip portionhaving front and rear walls curving inwardly at their top edges into acontinuation of one another and defining between said walls a clipchannel, said clip portion rear Wall extending downwardly lower than thebottom edge of said clip front wall and turning forward and upward intoa hook element disposed in substantially coplanar relation with saidfront wall, the upper edge of said hook element being positioned belowand spaced apart from the bottom edge of said front Wall so that saidhook element upper edge and said clip channel and the upper edge of saidhook element being at least equal to the distance between the topmostedge of the file folder upper marginal edge portion and the bottom ofsaid suspension bar, whereby when said folder upper marginal edgeportion is fully disposed within said clip channel said clip book maysnap forward through one of said folder slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,289,577 Jonas July 14, 1942 2,771,076 Peter Nov. 20, 1956

